The applicant is aware of various patents related to dock structures. Such patents include those set forth in the accompanying Prior Art Disclosure Statement. The closest of these patents being that to Berquist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,221. The present application reflects substantial improvements over all such art including this particular patent.
Applicant's concept includes two distinct components which are connectable to form dock units of many desired configurations. The first such section is a deck or walking surface unit and the second is a float. Each of the sections is rotationally formed and therefore hollow and is molded from polyethelene with includes Uv inhibitors. The units are formed through rotational molding techniques and thus provide completely hollow, floatable units with all passages formed therethrough being surface continuous or otherwise isolated to eliminate internal water accummulation.
With known molding techniques, surface design is easily attainable and non-skid surfaces are provided on the walking areas of deck sections with a waffle pattern provided on the bottom of the float sections to reduce wave action on the assembled dock. With the applicant's dock, all sections being floatable, it is obvious that a section may be assembled either on shore and pushed from the shore to its final position or it may be constructed by floating sections into place and connecting the same after positioning.
With the applicant's aspects of interlock and overlap, it should be obvious that a multiplicity of shapes and sizes of dock may be provided to include fingers for slips and enlarged platform areas. Applicant has also found that increasing the number of floats below an enlarged platform area will permit placement of structures on such an area to provide, for example, a changing house or storage shed at the end of a dock unit.
It is therefore an object of the applicant's invention to provide a float and deck system which incorporates a plurality of such units arranged for connection and interlock and overlap whereby dock structures of various shapes and design considerations are obtainable.
It is a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a float and deck system for dock construction whereby float and deck sections are selectably located for float use and space variation for affording sufficient flotation and bouyancy to the finished dock.
It is still a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a floating dock incorporating a number of individual float and deck sections wherein a plurality of interlocking and overlapping deck sections are provided for attachment to one another and similarly attachable to a selected number of positioned float sections to provide a continuous flexible deck capable of absorbing oscillatory, wave induced motion.
It is still a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a floating dock incorporating a plurality of hollow platform deck sections and a plurality of hollow floatable float members having means for interconnecting the deck and float sections in a manner which permits float spacing with additional support struts supplied between spaced floats.
It is still a further object of the applicant's invention to provide a floating dock incorporating a plurality of spaced float sections and deck sections mounted and supported thereby with support struts extending between the floats and offering lateral support to the overlying deck sections.
These and other objects and advantages of the applicant's invention will more fully appear from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and description.